Provincial And Territorial Update – October 18, 2024

Federal News: Liberal Caucus Stage Quiet Revolt

This week, the news broke that a group of Liberal MPs were planning on formally asking the Prime Minister to resign as leader of the Party. The Liberal Caucus will be meeting on October 23, and the question will likely be settled there. This week saw a frenzy of activity behind closed doors, with Liberal MPs discussing amongst themselves where they stood on the issue. What we know so far is that an unknown group of approximately 20 MPs is spearheading the effort to oust Trudeau. Reporters attempted to contact as many Liberal Parliamentarians as they could this week, in an attempt to learn more about the conversations going on behind the scenes, and this led to a myriad of quotes and rumors regarding the state of the Liberal Caucus.

Reports also came out this week stating that four Cabinet Ministers will not be seeking re-election, and that this will be formally announced along with a cabinet shuffle.

The MPs calling for Trudeau to step down told the Hill Times that they have been pushing to have a Caucus meeting on the subject since the embarrassing Toronto-St. Paul byelection loss to the Conservatives. They say that they have been blocked by the Prime Minister’s office and the topic dodged at every opportunity since then. Part of the reason they are now speaking with the media rather than handling the matter in-house as it were is because they feel that their opinion on the matter is being suppressed within Party channels so they must go external.

With Parliament returning to sitting on Monday, still deadlocked pending another party partnering with the LPC, and a National Caucus meeting this coming Wednesday, it appears that the government can look forward to quite an exciting week coming up.

New Brunswick

Green Party Leader David Coon announced several measures he would take to improve seniors’ care as premier. He said he would increase the minimum number of hours of care seniors receive in long-term care to 4.1 hours per day. Coon said the cost estimate for the change, which would happen over four years, is $185 Million. He would also raise the comfort and clothing allowance to be indexed with inflation, and cap special care home rates at $80 a day, he said. Coon also said he would restore the Primary Informal Caregiver Benefit to fund a pay raise for home-care workers instead. Additionally, Coon said he would implement the dementia strategy that’s been shelved by past PC and Liberal governments.
Liberal Leader Susan Holt has opened the door to future changes to Policy 713. The policy says parents must be asked for their consent before educators can respect the choice by a student under the age of 16 to adopt a new name or pronoun reflecting their gender identity. Last year Holt said she would, if elected, implement recommendations by Kelly Lamrock, the child and youth advocate. In recent statements, Holt has also suggested that additional “future changes” to the policy might happen if she becomes premier.
The Progressive Conservative party issued its election platform on Saturday evening, shortly after pledging $26 million in long-term disability funding for nurses. The two-page platform includes one page of campaign promises already announced, including a reduction in the harmonized sales tax to 13 percent over two years. A second-page lists highlights of Higgs’s six years as premier. It also reiterates earlier promises, such as expanding the scope of practice for nurses, paramedics and pharmacists, balancing the budget, forcing those with addiction into treatment if they pose a danger to themselves or others, and litigating against title claims by First Nations. The platform has an estimated cost of $1.7 billion over four years.
New Brunswick has taken steps to make Paxlovid more affordable for some people at higher risk of becoming severely ill or dying from COVID-19, now that the federal government has stopped supplying the anti-viral medication to provinces for free. The province now covers Paxlovid for the treatment of mild to moderate COVID for adults who have a government-sponsored drug plan and are severely or moderately immunosuppressed, if they have a positive COVID-19 test and are within five days of symptom onset.

Nova Scotia

Ahead of the upcoming municipal election, Halifax Regional Municipality is rolling out a new initiative to get approximately 140 homeless people ready to vote. Outreach workers have been visiting homeless encampments and shelters to make sure the people living there know they have a right to vote on Oct. 19 or in advanced polls, and ensuring they have the documentation to do so. The navigators provide a letter that states their name and address, so as long as the person is 18 and has lived in the province for more than six months, they can vote.
A Nova Scotia municipal council has voted to increase the distance wind turbines must be from private property without the owner’s permission, but companies behind the renewable energy projects fear the change could set a new precedent that would stifle development across the province. The change would require commercial turbines in the West Hants Regional Municipality to be at least 2.5 kilometres from abutting property lines unless there is consent from the landowner to be closer. Under the current bylaw, turbines can be as close as one kilometre from a dwelling without the landowner’s approval. John Lohr, Nova Scotia’s current minister of municipal affairs, has to approve or reject the bylaw amendments. A decision could be made in the coming weeks.
The Nova Scotia government says the number of people seeking a family doctor has dipped from an all-time high and now sits at around 145,000. On Thursday morning, Nova Scotia Health said as of Oct. 4, there were 145,114 people on the need-a-family-practice registry — down about 12 percent since September. The latest figure is comparable to the number of people seeking a doctor in mid-2023.
Atlantic Canadian universities say Ottawa’s cap on foreign student permits has cost the region an estimated $163 million, according to a consultant’s report. The report, conducted by Halifax-based Gardner Pinfold Consulting on behalf of the Association of Atlantic Universities, found the federal cap has resulted in a decline of nearly 3,000 international graduate and undergraduate students in the region. Last month, the Liberal government said it would slash the number of international student permits it issues by another 10 percent.

Prince Edward Island

A Liberal backbencher is publicly calling on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to step down as party leader as other MPs co-ordinate their efforts to force him out. Sean Casey, the MP for Charlottetown, has said “The message that I’ve been getting loud and clear — and more and more strongly as time goes by — is that it is time for [Trudeau] to go. And I agree.” Casey is the first MP to call publicly for Trudeau’s resignation.
Prince Edward Islanders can now recycle more of their unwanted gear instead of sending it to the landfill. The new items accepted as of Oct. 1 include personal devices such as smartwatches and virtual-reality headsets, small electric vehicles such as e-bikes and e-scooters, and exercise equipment with electronic components. “When we recycle our products, like … treadmills and Fitbits and e-bikes, it helps to keep our landfills from filling so quickly,” Charlottetown-Belvedere MLA Susie Dillon said at a launch event for the expanded program.
A surge in population on P.E.I. in the last decade has coincided with increasing crime rates, and Charlottetown police Chief Brad MacConnell says police resources are falling behind where they should be. “Our population has surged so much,” said McConnell. “It’s hard for anyone to keep pace with that.” Since the launch of a provincial population strategy in 2015, P.E.I. has easily been the fastest-growing province in Canada, with a total growth of more than 20 percent. During that time, MacConnell said the number of calls for service has risen far faster than the population, with a 75 percent increase since 2012.
The Coalition for the Protection of P.E.I. Water is calling for another round of public consultation on water use. When the province released its irrigation strategy two years ago, it mentioned the possibility of an independent, arm’s-length body to rule on irrigation permit applications. But the government confirmed Tuesday that no such body was ever established. Catherine O’Brien, chair of the coalition, said it’s “vitally important” that Islanders have a say on how water is used and shared because it all comes from one source — groundwater.

Newfoundland and Labrador

Western Memorial Regional Hospital in Corner Brook might have a new building, but Newfoundland and Labrador’s Opposition leader says the facility is dealing with old problems. “Already we have no beds, we don’t have enough room,” PC Leader Tony Wakeham said Wednesday. “All the equipment is there, but there is no radiation oncologist.” First promised 17 years ago, the hospital opened four months ago, replacing the former hospital that closed after more than seven decades of service.
Six months after the federal government unveiled $1 billion to fund Canada’s first national school food program and a month after the first jurisdiction — Newfoundland and Labrador — officially signed on. Families opt to pay fully for their children’s participation, a partial fee or nothing at all if money is tight. Financial support from the provincial government, individual and corporate donors and fundraisers has helped cover the difference, but in recent years that gap has widened, said SLA executive director John Finn. School food providers await details of just how Newfoundland’s $9.1 million in federal funding over three years will be distributed, but the SLA and its peers have already been advising provincial authorities on where help is needed most.
Newfoundland and Labrador’s gender issues critic said Tuesday the provincial government is lagging behind on its own pay equity laws, days after women’s rights advocates spoke publicly about their disappointment with official action to increase wage parity among the sexes. Helen Conway Ottenheimer, PC MHA for Harbour Main, told CBC News the Official Opposition hasn’t heard of any movement on whether or not the government has implemented any part of the pay equity legislation. Despite a promise in a March 2023 news release to finalize regulations by the end of last year, the government hasn’t yet acted on its words. The Act requires public sector employers to prepare reports proving they pay equal salaries to all employees regardless of gender.
The tension around the council table in Portugal Cove-St. Philip’s has been laid bare in recent weeks following the release of two independent reports and the suspension — during a highly charged meeting on Oct. 2 — of outspoken town councillor Darryl Harding. Now the mayor is hopeful that decorum will return and stress levels for elected leaders and employees will decline now that Harding is on the sidelines once again.

Quebec

Premier François Legault says the federal government should force asylum seekers arriving in Quebec to move to other provinces, including people who have already settled in the province. Legault said during a trip to Paris on Wednesday that he wants half of the asylum seekers currently in Quebec to be transferred elsewhere in the country. The premier says it doesn’t make sense that Quebec receives about 45 percent of would-be refugees in Canada, despite accounting for only 22 percent of the population. The federal government says it wants a fairer distribution of asylum seekers across the country, but the office of Immigration Minister Marc Miller says Ottawa won’t force provinces to take in more people.
Members of Quebec’s largest nurses’ union voted just over 66 percent in favour of adopting a mediator’s recommendations after rejecting an agreement in principle earlier this year. The Fédération Interprofessionnelle de la santé du Québec (FIQ) has about 80,000 members and represents nurses, practical nurses, respiratory therapists and clinical perfusionists. Issues around staff retention and the possibility of moving nurses from one healthcare facility to another to address staffing have been among the major sticking points throughout the negotiations. The mediator recommended that staff can’t be forced to travel more than 40 kilometres when moved from one healthcare setting to another.
Hydro-Québec and L’Alliance de l’énergie de l’Est have their eyes set on the Lower St. Lawrence region for a new wind farm project that could generate up to 1,000 megawatts. The 50/50 partnership, resulting in a $3 billion investment in the region, was announced and signed Wednesday morning. It’s the second large-scale wind project announced by the Crown corporation since it became the main contractor of wind projects over 1,000 megawatts in May. The wind farm will span over 700 square kilometres of public land in an area dubbed the “Wocawson zone.”
As the fallout continues over a toxic climate found at an elementary school in Montreal, a Liberal MNA says the head of the province’s largest school service centre is part of the problem and wants her to step down. According to a 90-page report, the school has a group of 11 teachers, acting as a “dominant clan” that fosters a climate of fear and intimidation among students and staff.

Ontario

On Friday, Ontario Premier Doug Ford told reporters he’s “all in” on a federal plan to provide meals to students and confirmed the province is in talks with the federal government to work out details. “We’re in the midst of discussions right now with the feds,” Ford told reporters at an unrelated news conference. On Thursday, the Toronto City Council voted 23 to 1 to direct staff to report back next year on how best to create a universal student lunch program that would provide a free mid-morning meal to students by the 2026-2027 school year. The council decided it wants to have the program in place no later than 2030.
Ontario taxpayers have forked over $4.3 million in legal fees after the province lost two court cases defending a wage-cap law that was struck down as unconstitutional. Premier Doug Ford’s government passed a law — known as Bill 124 — in 2019 to limit salary increases for broader public sector workers at one percent per year for three years. In a 2-1 decision earlier this year, the Appeal Court struck down the law, saying it infringed on workers’ Charter rights. The province accepted defeat and, soon after, repealed the law in its entirety.
Ontario is making what a key minister describes as a “hard pivot” to life sciences, as it looks to replicate its aggressive investment in the electric-vehicle sector in a bid to become a world leader in biomanufacturing and health sciences. The province is putting $46 million into an infrastructure fund to boost research capacity at post-secondary schools and hospitals. It also expects to spend $5 million to speed up clinical trials, $36 million for several startup funds and $40 million in venture capital funds intended to spur growth and innovation.
Demand for electricity in Ontario is set to soar by 75 percent in the next couple of decades, far higher than was projected just last year, in part due to a sudden surge in data centres supporting artificial intelligence, the system operator said Wednesday. Industrial demand is anticipated to rise by 58 percent by 2035, adding the equivalent of a city the size of Toronto to the grid, the IESO said. The new demand is also coming from data centres that need much larger amounts of energy to power artificial intelligence, the IESO said.

Manitoba

New federal legislation that will cover the cost of birth control across the country after Manitoba moved to make it free starting this month could mean the province ends up with more dollars to instead spend of making other types of medication free, Premier Wab Kinew said Friday. The national pharmacare bill that was central to a now-defunct political pact between the Liberals and NDP received royal assent on Thursday night and has now become law. Kinew said Manitoba is still negotiating a pharmacare agreement with the federal government.
Out-of-province travel expenses for Manitoba cabinet ministers are being posted online again after a hiatus of more than a year, but the disclosure still does not include spending by accompanying political or department staff, which can be higher. One of the expenses posted this week, for Families Minister Nahanni Fontaine, lists $6,649 for a trip to New York between March 10 and 15, including airfare, hotel and meal costs.
The deadline to run for leader of Manitoba’s Progressive Conservative Party closed with two candidates seeking to head up the Official Opposition. However, it might take another week for the party to determine whether there will be a competitive race. When the deadline to submit applications to run for PC leader closed Tuesday at noon, both MLA Obby Khan (Fort Whyte) and Churchill hotelier Wally Daudrich submitted paperwork, PC leadership election committee chair Brad Zander said.

Saskatchewan

The Saskatchewan NDP says its first act if it forms government after the Oct. 28 election would be to immediately slash the provincial gas tax. Nicole Sarauer, the NDP’s candidate in Regina Douglas Park, made the announcement Friday. The party has previously promised the cut, but had not said it was the first thing it would do.
Saskatchewan’s main political parties are split ahead of the upcoming election on whether the province should opt into the new federal pharmacare program covering diabetes medication and birth control. The Saskatchewan Party says it will need more information regarding the federal government’s plans before signing on. On the other hand, the Saskatchewan NDP says it will sign the agreement if elected to “reduce prescription costs.”
Saskatchewan Party Leader Scott Moe has released his party’s full platform, which includes promises he says would cost $1.2 billion over four years, in the lead-up to the Oct. 28 provincial election. The platform projects deficits in the first three years, followed by a small surplus in 2027. It contains pre-announced commitments, including broad tax relief to reduce personal income taxes, an expansion to the graduation retention program and additional rebates for families with children in sports and arts.
Saskatchewan’s two main political parties have nevertheless found at least one area of agreement: Both will maintain the current one percent small business tax rate if elected to form the government after the Oct. 28 election. Saskatchewan Party Leader Scott Moe announced the policy at a news conference in Kenaston, Sask., on Friday, while Saskatchewan NDP Leader Carla Beck called the policy “the right move” during a speech in Saskatoon laying out her party’s complete platform.

Alberta

The Alberta government continues to divvy up its provincial health authority, with the health minister saying the new agency responsible for primary care is expected to be up and running by Nov. 1. Adriana LaGrange says Primary Care Alberta will work to improve access to providers like family doctors and nurse practitioners, create new primary care models and increase access to after-hours care through virtual means. She told a news conference Tuesday that Alberta Health Services (AHS) hasn’t been able to focus solely on primary care, due to its overarching responsibility for most of the health-care system. AHS currently oversees the delivery of everything from community care to acute care.
The Alberta government is also launching a $7-million advertising campaign in Alberta, British Columbia, Ontario, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia in what it says is an effort to throw cold water on the federal government’s plan to implement an emissions cap on the oil and gas sector. The campaign, which the province has titled “Scrap the Cap,” will involve television, online video, print and social media ads.
The Alberta government is proposing additional restrictions on wind and solar farms that it says are designed with environmental protection in mind. But conservationists think the new plan is more about limiting renewable energy than protecting the environment. Last year, the Alberta government imposed a seven-month moratorium on new renewable energy projects, after which Premier Danielle Smith announced her government would be taking an “agriculture first” approach to regulating renewable energy project locations.
Alberta is unveiling new regulations that will once again allow corporate and union donations in local elections. The move by the United Conservative Party government reverses a ban brought in under the NDP. Bill 20 passed debate in the legislature earlier this year and comes into effect later this month. The legislation also allows local political parties and slates on the ballot beginning in 2025 — but only in the province’s two largest cities, Edmonton and Calgary.

British Columbia

Lawyers for the founders of Vancouver’s Drug User Liberation Front (DULF) say their clients are being wrongfully criminalized for operating a club that provided untainted drugs to people who would otherwise be at the mercy of a toxic and deadly illicit drug supply. Lawyers Tim Dickson and Stephanie Dickson outlined a constitutional challenge of Canada’s Controlled Drugs and Substances Act on Tuesday, filed in B.C. Supreme Court on behalf of DULF co-founders Jeremy Kalicum and Eris Nyx. The pair had operated a “compassion club” that sold heroin, cocaine and methamphetamine bought on the dark web and tested for contaminants.
B.C. Conservative Leader John Rustad unveiled a reproductive health plan on Friday that includes a pledge to fund two cycles of in-vitro fertilization (IVF). It’s a doubling of the promise the B.C. NDP government made in its budget earlier this year, in which it committed to one free round of fertility treatment. That program has $68 million behind it so far and is slated to launch in April 2025. Rustad said a B.C. Conservative government would further finance a second round of IVF for those needing it but has yet to put a dollar figure behind the pledge.
All three B.C. political parties are pledging to expand health care, while workers on the front lines say whoever forms the next government must match funding and staffing to what they are proposing. Polls going into the last week of the campaign show that health care is the second most important issue for voters behind the cost of living and ahead of housing affordability and availability. Many British Columbians struggle to find a family doctor or get timely care for a life-threatening illness.

Northwest Territories

Infrastructure in all its glorious forms is expected to be at the forefront of N.W.T. MLAs’ minds as they head to the Legislative Assembly for their Thursday fall session. The territory’s capital budget is up for debate, spanning issues from energy needs to roads (permanent and winter) to school upgrades. Shauna Morgan, MLA for Yellowknife North, thinks housing will top the list of capital priorities. “Certainly it’s top of mind amongst regular members, and it was identified as one of our top priorities in our mandate,” she said Wednesday.

Yukon

Five communities in Nunavut are going to be getting new accessible mobility vans, meant to help elderly residents get around in their community. “It really ties to the dignity of the elder and the respect that we have for them, for them to feel that they’re part of community,” said Premier P.J. Akeeagok. Akeeagok announced the project and recipient communities at the Elders’ Qammaq in Iqaluit, last week. The vans are meant to be a free service to help elders get to places like grocery stores, health appointments and events in the communities.

Nunavut

Nunavut’s NDP MP Lori Idlout says her visits this week to three communities in the territory showed one issue was top of mind for many of her constituents — the new federal gun bill, C-21. “We didn’t go into the communities with any specific topic item,” Idlout said. “We left that up to each community… though in every community the first question has been about Bill C-21, and what the potential impacts are of Bill C-21.”